Just Emily
by QuaffleBird
Summary: Emily. That's it. She has no idea where she's from or who her family is. A young girl growing up in the Leaky Cauldron with few people who even know she exists. Follow Emily as her sixteenth birthday takes her places beyond her wildest dreams and experiences things she never knew was possible. All she knows is she's Just Emily.


I sat on a bench, somewhere near the Leaky Cauldron in London. I was waiting for my friend, Hermione Granger, who was probably one of the only people in the world who knew I existed, apart from my brother-like friend Tom. He worked at the Leaky Cauldron and treated me like a little sister ever since I arrived there in the middle of the night when I was only one year old.  
"Emily?" said a voice behind me. I snapped my head to the side and smiled broadly at my bushy-haired friend.  
"Hermione!" I squealed, walking over to hug her.  
"Oh my gosh, Ems, it's been too long!" she said as we swayed side to side while hugging each other.  
"I know... but, you're here now, and that's the thing," I smiled as we parted. She held my hand as we skipped into the Leaky Cauldron together, my home.  
"Do you wanna have a drink, Herms?" I asked her casually.  
"Oh... I'd love to but, I don't have any spare money for that!" she explained.  
"Don't worry! Tom'll be fine with it!" I assured her.  
"What I'm I gonna be fine with?" asked Tom, leaning on the wooden bench cleaning out a glass cup with a cloth.  
"You'll be fine with Hermione having a drink!" I said, gesturing to my friend.  
"That's quite alright, Hermione. It would be unfair anyway 'cause I sometimes let my friends off the hook, but anyways, two butterbeers, m'lovelies?"  
"Yes, please," smiled Hermione.  
"Thanks Tom! We'll be back in a few minutes!" I called as I pushed Hermione towards the back door where the entrance to Diagon Alley was.  
"W-wait, where are we going?" questioned Hermione.  
"To get me a new cat," I mumbled, turning pink in the cheeks.  
"What happened to Lila?"  
"Stupid Muggle ran her over, and I'm not trying to offend all Muggles here, they can be nice but extremely clumsy,"  
"Are you calling my parents clumsy?" asked Hermione, turning around with her arms crossed, a playful smirk plastered on her face.  
"No! Not at all, no no, your parents are really nice!" I said defensively. Hermione raised her eyebrow.  
"Honest!" I said, holding my hands up.  
"Okay, okay, okay, I believe you, now c'mon, lets go get you a cat,"  
I smiled and linked arms with her again as she tapped a few particular bricks with her wand which formed an archway to the all-too familiar Diagon Alley.  
"So, which shop are you going to?" asked Hermione.  
I furrowed my eyebrows. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Eyelops is the only one, isn't it?"  
"Well, I thought you might read the Daily Prophet but obviously you don't so–"  
"Ohh! I remember now, it's cool. Wasn't it, um, Charlie Weasley who opened the first shop in London that sells you books on how to actually tame wild animals like dragons and hinkypunks?" I asked.  
"Yup, so which shop are we going to? Eyelops or 'Animals for All'?" she said with a posh accent on the last three words.  
"Lets check out Animals for All and then if that's bad, we'll go to Eyelops, m'kay?" I explained.  
"Yep," We both skipped along past Madam Eyelops Pet Emporium and into Charlie's awesome looking shop.  
There were all sorts of pets in large glass compartments from tiny, harmless kittens to enormous unicorn eggs.  
Luckily, we and two other people were the only ones in here.  
"Hello, Hermione!" greeted Charlie warmly, pulling Hermione into a hug.  
"Hi, Charlie. Nice to see you again,"  
"Well, who do we have here?" asked Charlie brightly, clapping his hands once and turning to me.  
"Oh, I'm Emily." I said, shaking his hand.  
"Emily who?" he smiled politely after a couple of seconds.  
"I don't actually know my last name," I confessed quietly.  
"Oh, that's alright then, Emily! Now, what can I do for you?" Charlie asked with a goofy grin plastered on his face.  
"Well, Emily was looking for a new cat," stated Hermione simply.  
"Oh, well that's easy! Come this way," Charlie led us through a wooden door into a back room where the roof was glass and there were medium-sized playpens, three kitten ones, three puppy ones, a few rabbit, mouse and toad ones, too.  
A stared in awe at this one little kitten that had a creamy-gold colored fur and bright blue eyes.  
"Can we touch them?" I questioned.  
"'Course!" he said, gesturing towards the kitten pen. "Touch away!"  
I smiled and leant down, putting my hand in the pen and petting the kitten I thought was adorable. It meowed and purred at my hand, brushing her silky soft fur all over it.  
"What breed is she?" asked Hermione.  
"He's a pure tabby. Her Mum died a month ago in birth, but luckily this little one survived," he explained, stroking its fur in the process.  
"What gender?" I asked.  
"He's a healthy, baby boy." stated Charlie simply.  
"I'll take him." I confirmed.  
"Alright, if you just wanna pick him up–yep, like that and come right this way, please." Charlie smiled, leading us back into the shop.  
"Okay, he's five galleons, fourteen sickles and three knuts."  
"Alrightie, here you go," I said, opening my purse and handing over the money.  
"Thanks, Emily. Have a nice–oh, I completely forgot! What're you going to call him?"  
"How about Butterbeer?" suggested Hermione.  
"Yes! That sounds so cute! His name is Butterbeer," I informed Charlie.  
"Thanks, for that! Have a nice day!" Charlie called as we waved goodbye.  
"Can I hold Butterbeer?" pleaded Hermione.  
"Sure, here you go," I said kindly, passing her my newly bought kitten. We both petted her fur as she meowed and purred at us.  
Suddenly, we bumped into someone. I scrunched my eyes shut and smacked my head on the concrete ground. I was trying so hard not to cry.  
I heard multiple meows and little feet scurrying off as I sat up, clutching my head in pain, still scrunching my eyes closed.  
"Are you okay?" asked a boy's voice as fingers supported my back and helped me stand up.  
"No, not really," I said bitterly. Someone muttered something and sudden  
Y all pain pounding through my head vanished.  
I opened my eyes and only just stopped myself screaming when I saw Malfoy's concerned face hovering close to mine.  
I widened my eyes in shock and looked around wildly for Hermione. She had tears welling in her eyes as she frantically ran around, looking for something.  
"Hermione! Lets go!" I called, leaving Malfoy confused.  
"But wait, Emily, I dropped Butterbeer!" she cried, a single tear spilling down her face.  
"Hermione, don't cry. I'll try accioing him, Accio Butterbeer!" I muttered. A cute kitten flew around a brick shop and into my arms. She snuggled into my shirt and meowed a couple of times before settling down.  
"C'mon, Herms, he's fine," I assured her. She took my hand and we walked back into the Leaky Cauldron. I looked at my friend and she looked like she felt really bad.  
"Hermione," I said, making her look at me with apologetic eyes.  
"It's alright," I reassured her.  
"Really?" she asked quietly.  
"Yes! Now come on, we've been out way too long," I said, putting an arm around her but still keeping a tight grip on.  
"Ya, sure, two minutes," glared Tom playfully.  
"Sorry, Tom! But we got a new kitty!" I said, lifting up my butterbeer.  
"Okay, she is–"  
"He," Hermione and I said at the same time. We both looked at each other awkwardly and laughed.  
"He, is cute. Take him up to your room, please, Em,"  
"M'kay," I smiled and walked up a staircase that was next to the bar table. I skipped one stair with each leap as I finally made it up to the owner's room.  
It had peeling white walls and a wooden roof. The floorboards were very dusty and the windows were exactly the same. There was a single bed in the corner with its end facing towards me and a small bedside table next to it which had a lamp resting on it. There was a faded orange rug next to the bed and a fire place with a couch in front of it built in the same wall as the bed head was resting on. A small door leading to my bedroom was to my right which I opened and entered. A yellowed sheeted single bed sat in the corner with my bedside table holding my alarm clock, watch, bedside lamp, some hair-ties, a headband and a box of Berty Bott's Every Flavor Beans. An armchair sat in the bottom right corner with my fluffy, yellow cushion on it. A desk and chair rested in the top left corner of my room which had all my homework, parchment, quills, ink pot, wand, newspapers (Daily Prophet), photos and a compass.  
My old cat's bed, Lila, was sitting to my right which I put my darling Butterbeer in and fed him some cat food and water. I petted him before walking out and shutting the door behind me.  
"Here's your Butterbeer, Em," said Hermione who slid a cup full of warm, tasty light brown liquid towards me.  
"Mmmm," I said, licking my lips as I put my cup there and sipped it.  
Once Hermione and I had finished our Butterbeers, we thanked Tom and headed back into Diagon Alley so Hermione could buy her Hogwarts things.  
"I can't believe I'm in my sixth year!" squealed Hermione. I sighed sadly.  
"I know, it's amazing, isn't it?" I said, forcing a smile.  
"Oh, Emily, I'm so sorry... I'm sure you'll go to Hogwarts someday," she assured. She hugged me tightly and I felt much better.  
"Lets go get your Hogwarts things," I smiled. Hermione returned the smile as we dashed through each and every store, buying all the necessary essentials for year at Hogwarts.  
"So... anything else?" I asked Hermione as we exited Madam Malkins with Hermione's new Gryffindor robes.  
"Nope. It's four anyway so Mum and Dad will probably be in the Leaky Cauldron," replied Hermione.  
"Let's go then," I smiled as we linked arms and skipped off.  
"Don't worry, Mrs Granger, Hermione and Emily will–see? They're here now!" said Tom, gesturing towards my friend and I.  
"Hermione Jean Granger! You have been gone far too long!" scolded Mrs Granger.  
"What? Mum, it's only four o two! Three minutes isn't that much!" retorted Hermione.  
"You were supposed to wait at the park where your father and I apparated forty minutes ago!"  
"But you were supposed to pick me up at four!"  
"We said ten past three!" Hermione made an 'O' shape with her mouth and walked off with her parents who kept going on and on about Hermione's misunderstanding.  
"Owl me," I whispered. Hermione smiled and nodded.  
"Wow," said Tom, cleaning the inside of a cup.  
"I know, right?"


End file.
